Monday, 24th October 2005

A furious and visibly upset Cliff Richard appeared on the BBC TV show Watchdog this evening over a reported ticket scam.

He was outraged when he discovered the £45.00 tickets for his tour are selling on the internet for £377.00. To add insult to injury, the tickets aren't even up for official sale until the 31st October!

The 65-year-old singer described ticket agency getmetickets.net as "manipulative, extortionate and mean". He said: "It's taking advantage of someone's love for someone."

He contacted the Watchdog to beg his fans not to fall for the "rip-off".

He said: "We are selling tickets for £45. If you buy through this guy you have got to pay up to £377. "It's a terrible rip-off. I have had a long relationship with my fans and I feel great sympathy for them."

Getmetickets.net rogue boss Michael Rangos, who describes his firm as "Britain's biggest independent ticket agency", has been prosecuted twice by trading standards officers.

In a case brought by Northants trading standards last year he admitted selling Cliff Richard tickets for £323 without admitting the face value was £40. His firm was ordered to pay £4,877 in fines and costs. Rangos was fined a further £665. Only this year his rip-off company was fined £1,500 each for charging £297 for two Shania Twain tickets without revealing they originally cost just £50.

Watchdog has received hundreds of complaints that tickets sold by getmetickets.net for Glastonbury and other functions were either invalid, were not available on the day - and were grossly overpriced.

Bottom line? Avoid getmetickets.net like the plague!!

BBC Watchdog Reports about getmetickets.net
24th October 2005
13th September 2005

Neils World Click here

alan.blog-city Click here

For other references and complaints about this rip-off artist simply Click here